The issue of academic progress and student achievement is at the heart of most discussions related to education. A Plus Schools, a local non-profit monitoring public education, reports several Pittsburgh Public Schools struggle to increase academic achievement. As the district begins to make decisions about under-populated schools; academic achievement has become a community priority.

The part of the discussion that focuses on student achievement in these instances revolves around some poor statistics on grades, SAT and other standardized test scores; student retention and graduation rates in some of these schools. The District has implied that proposed and potential facility and curriculum changes would have a positive impact on these statistics.

Meanwhile, two Southwestern PA charter schools -- City Charter High School and Propel School -- were among the top 21 charter schools honored in 2009 by New Leaders for New Schools, a nonprofit that focuses on school leadership. The schools' programs have infused technology and educational supports to provide an environment of success.

Students at both schools have shown a dramatic increase in educational achievement, as measured by state test results in reading and math that factor the impact of a school on its students' achievement over time; and the progress students make from one year to the next, independent of proficiency targets.

Interested in learning what works and why? Representatives from City Charter High School and Propel School will present their educational models, curriculums, educational challenges/solutions, and approaches to community/parents engagement on Tuesday, May 12 at the BGC Community Activity Center, 113 N. Pacific Ave. in Garfield. Bagels and coffee at 8:30 a.m., followed by the presentation and discussion at 9 a.m.